by Jhanvi Vipin (She/Her)
Last Thursday, members of the Strathclyde community assembled in Rottenrow Gardens in a vigil for Palestine. Staff and students were in attendance, including Strath Union representatives and members from Muslim, Jewish, and other communities for a candlelit vigil from 5 to 6 PM. The event was organised through the joint efforts of Strath Union, the Strathclyde University Muslim Students Association (SUMSA) and Jewish students from Strathclyde to call for a ceasefire and for peace.
Since the 7th of October, an armed conflict has been occurring between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in and around the Gaza Strip, and also in the West Bank and Israel-Lebanon border, claiming and displacing countless lives.
Eva Curran, President of Strath Union said, “After the events started unfolding in Israel and Gaza, the Union had been in touch with both our Muslim and Jewish students, and both groups expressed a desire to hold a vigil together, so I’ve been collaborating with both of them, and over the past month we’ve been arranging to host this vigil.”
The vigil included the lighting of candles, recitations of Islamic and Jewish prayer, speeches on the ongoing conflict, narrations of experiences and ultimately, a call for peace and solidarity. This follows the United Nations having called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday (12 December) after more than seventy-five percent of the 193-member General Assembly supported the decision.
The ongoing conflict has created divided masses, and in response to the hate and anti-Semitic posters that were found around university campus, Curran said: “It’s so horrible to see that happening on our own campus, and that’s why I think it’s so important that we’ve come together as a Strathclyde community to show that that’s not tolerated on our campus. Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic behaviour won’t be accepted here.”
Here’s what people present at the vigil had to say about the demonstration.
Dr Ibrahim Khadra, a Palestinian from Gaza and academic from the University of Strathclyde tells his personal experience in an interview:
This vigil for us is very important, because this is symbolic, showing the Palestinian people in Gaza, that they get the support and that people are thinking of them. And that’s why I’m personally here, not only because of my family, but because of the lives that have been lost on a daily basis. As of today, 18,873 lives have been killed, murdered and you know thousands of people injured. People have no hope, have no houses, including my family who has been displaced from Khan Yunis City into the south of Gaza. This needs to come to an end, we just can’t carry on like this. As you know, Palestine has been under occupation for 75 years, Gaza has been under siege for 17 years, so people continue to suffer, ingoing, and that never stopped. So for me coming today here, telling the message of my family and the story of my country to the students, to people, to understand what’s going on in the hope they will support us, and that we will get more support from government, and that’s very important for us.”
Natasha Pell, a third-year Jewish student from Strathclyde recounts her thoughts:
I came here today to show solidarity with Palestinians and people of the Muslim community, to say that there’s no amount of political dispute that can justify the killing of innocent people. I think there’s a lot of misinformation that’s gone out, whether it’s to the Muslim community, the Gazans, or the Jewish or Israeli community. And it’s just making sure that we speak from facts. It’s also to ensure that Jewish voices are heard, because being Jewish does not equal being Zionist, just as you can be born in Israel and not actually believe that the sake of Israel is beneficial to the sake of humanity.”
Fadil Vepari, the SUMSA President, said:
It was sobering and touching to the heart and it kind of makes you feel human, cause again you can get caught up in the lives and business of your own life, but seeing and experiencing the okay night, kinda makes you remember that we’re all human and that we all have the same challenges but the ones that are experiences in Palestine are far beyond worse that ones of a regular person and we need to stand up for them, because at the end of the day, they are humans too, and we need to treat them first and foremost as humans and the occupation is not treating them as humans, so it negates the whole aspect of it.”
In a joint interview with two SUMSA members, Nabila Kane said,
We really wanted to reiterate the fact that all human life is important, and that the Scottish government fully supports the ceasefire and they put in a vote for that, so we think the Scottish community as well should support that too, and that’s what the vigil was about.”
Duncan Kilpatrick added,
“To shadow what Nabila said, I don’t think awareness needs to be raised anymore, but to keep remembering what is happening and to keep the push going, because the killing isn’t slowing down, so we shouldn’t be slowing down either, and for everyone to take a minute out of their busy lives to remember those who have lost their lives in Gaza over last few weeks, few months now.”
Final year journalism + politics student at Strathclyde. Culture Editor 24/25
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